Photographs
by magic-cephalopod
Summary: What happens when Yuugi tries to take the Spirit's picture? The Spirit may not know what a photograph is, but he figures it can't be all bad if it allows him to save a moment with his partner. Ridiculously cute, but bittersweet.


**Author's note...** Alright, another Puzzleshipping ficlet. I actually came up with and wrote this story about two years ago, but never uploaded it anywhere because it felt unfinished to me. I recently found and fell in love with it all over again... and without ever realizing it, I'd somehow come up with the perfect ending for it over time. So here you go, an updated version of an older idea. I hope everyone enjoys the Spirit and Yuugi's bittersweet relationship, because that's what this is all about.

Also, I get so confused about poor Yami no Yuugi/ Pharaoh/ Atem/ Spirit of the Puzzle/ Mou Hitori no Boku's name! So I just decided to use the more non-descrip terms like 'Spirit' and 'Pharaoh' to describe him, and used Atem as his NAME. If you want, you can take that to mean that this scene takes place some time after the Millennium World arc, but honestly the setting is as vague and illusive as the Spirit's real name.

Okay, read on!

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**Photographs**

_by magic-cephalopod_

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"Just hold still!"

"Yuugi—" A bright flash illuminated the small bedroom, and the transparent form of the Pharaoh, standing a few feet away from his counterpart, yelped. His eyes swam with bright lights and sparks, and he moaned in confusion. "Yuugi! What is this?"

Yuugi smiled, placing the camera down on his desk. "It's a photograph!"

Atem stared down at Yuugi, quite confused and still recovering from the blinding flash. "A photograph?"

Yuugi nodded. "Mhmm," he grabbed the camera up again, and pointed to a button on top. "You push this button here, and the camera takes a picture of whatever this lens is facing." He pointed to the small opening on the front of device. "It's like an eye. And whatever you point it at, you push the button and the lens captures a still image of whatever it sees."

Yuugi saw that the Spirit still looked a little confused, so he tried to explain it in less literal terms. "It's like… a moment, frozen in time. And then you can save it, and keep it. Here," he moved so that Atem's hands were hovering over the machine. Yuugi made sure his own were holding Atem's in correct position over the contraption before smiling at his partner again. Receiving another baffled and curious look in return, Yuugi quickly snapped a shot of the two of them. Atem grunted and clamped his eyes shut once more, and Yuugi let out another innocent laugh. "I just want to see if it works on you," he admitted, looking at Atem rather sheepishly.

"What do you mean?" Atem managed to ask, once his eyes had mostly recovered from the blast of light.

"Well..." Yuugi put a hand to his chin, thinking. "I want to see if you'll actually show up in the picture, you know?" receiving another determinedly curious look from the Spirit, he smiled and continued. "I mean... No one else can really see you... I guess I'm just curious if the camera can see you too." he blushed, feeling a little weird for thinking about it. After all, it wasn't really a great matter of importance... but he thought it would be nice to have some pictures of the Spirit to keep, and maybe he could pin them up with the photos he'd taken with his other friends.

"Yuugi?"

Yuugi realized he had paused a bit longer than he had intended, and quickly put his arms up in embarrassment. "I-it's stupid, I know—"

Atem stared at Yuugi intently, and shook his head. "No..." his eyes softened, and a warm smile met his lips. "No, I would be honored to be in one of these 'photographs', as you call them."

Yuugi's eyes danced at this, but he looked at Atem with slight disbelief. "R-really?"

His partner nodded, picking up the camera from where Yuugi had placed it on the dresser and returning it to the boy's hands. "I would like one too," he said.

At this, a small blush started to creep along Yuugi's cheeks. He nodded and moved his hands around the camera, trying to stabilize it as he attempted to come up with a pose next to his friend. He stepped back next to where Atem had been hovering over his shoulder, and put an arm around where his waist was supposed to be. It seemed Atem was making no move to pose, so Yuugi threw up a peace sign for good measure. Grinning widely, he asked, "Ready?"

Before Atem could answer, the flash had blasted again, sending his mind through yet another crude cascade of lights. Yuugi laughed behind him, so amused with the Spirit's bewildered and frustrated expressions after each flash. "You look so funny!" he managed to get out between laughs, only making Atem's face contort more.

"Aibou..." Atem tried, frustrated with the camera's effect on him, but enjoying the activity all the same. After another moment of his partner's laughing, a defiant smile made it's way across his features again. Soon Yuugi's giggle-fits died down, and he fell back, legs and arms haphazardly sprawled over the bed. Atem slowly followed, sitting on the edge next to Yuugi and crossing his legs in his habitual position.

"I hope they turn out!" Yuugi said, flashing Atem a tired grin. The Pharaoh nodded slowly, waiting for Yuugi to continue. The younger boy closed his eyes and stretched with a yawn, pulling his jacket and shoes off as he wriggled comfortably into his sheets. "I'm beat," he concluded softly, his voice starting to soften as his sleepiness came into full effect. He stifled another yawn and curled further into bed, staring up at his partner's spectral form. "What about you?"

Atem smiled down at Yuugi. "You should rest."

Yuugi's eyes were starting to droop. He yawned again, letting out a small "Mmm..." in agreement. He was attempting (though not very well succeeding) to keep his eyes open. "Mou hitori no Boku..." Yuugi started.

"Hmm?"

"Would you sleep with me?"

The Spirit paused for a moment, before smiling warmly at Yuugi—though the boy's eyes were now closed. "Of course."

He gently lowered himself onto the bed, until he was lying but a few inches away from Yuugi. The other boy smiled too, but didn't say anything. After a moment his arms furled into the sheets beneath the Pharoh's form, and Yuugi sleepily rested his head where the crook of his partner's neck appeared to be. The Spirit smiled at his partner's antics, and closed his eyes. He was lulled into comfort by the softening sound of Yuugi's slowing breath.

The Spirit stayed with Yuugi until he was sure his partner had drifted into sleep, and then he decided to stay longer still. He positioned himself so that he could see the boy's face, and then placed a hand to Yuugi's chest. Though he could not 'feel' his partner by definition of the word, he could sense the rhythmic beat the boy's heart was making as it pulsed in time to his inhaling and exhaling.

It was well after midnight when the Spirit removed his hand, which he told himself felt just a little warmer after being pressed to Yuugi's body for so long. He stared at his palm, which was starting to disappear as his ethereal connection lost strength. Yuugi was dreaming, and Atem could stay out no longer. As he shifted to see Yuugi's face again, he saw the camera lying forgotten atop Yuugi's pillow. The Spirit still didn't quite understand what the strange device was meant to do, but he thought he might like to keep one of these moments with Yuugi 'frozen in time', as his partner had described it. After all, time was something of which he had very little.

"I hope the photographs turn out too, Aibou." He whispered, before returning to the confines of the puzzle in a single, unnoticed flash of light.

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**Last note... **So did the photographs turn out? I'll let you decide.


End file.
